--- title: Mock Mars Crew Returns After a Year in Isolation description: Six crew members on a mock mission to Mars returned to society on Sunday after a year of living in isolation in Hawaii canonical: https://time.com/4470000/mock-mars-crew-returns-isolation/ author: Mahita Gajanan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-28T20:41:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T00:14:36.579Z article:section: Science og:title: Mock Mars Crew Returns After a Year in Isolation og:description: They lived on a remote habitat in Hawaii og:url: https://time.com/4470000/mock-mars-crew-returns-isolation/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte10ecbb7e06a38d5/6988a3e8524fc035b6df94d6/mauna-loa.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: HAWAII og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Mock Mars Crew Returns After a Year in Isolation twitter:description: They lived on a remote habitat in Hawaii twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte10ecbb7e06a38d5/6988a3e8524fc035b6df94d6/mauna-loa.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Mock Mars Crew Returns After a Year in Isolation by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Aug 28, 2016 8:41 PM UTC  Black lava mountains near the coast and highway Chain of Crater Road on Big Island, Hawaii. Black lava mountains near the coast and highway Chain of Crater Road on Big Island, Hawaii.Sergi Reboredo—picture-alliance/dpa/AP by [Mahita Gajanan](https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Aug 28, 2016 8:41 PM UTC Six crew members on a mock mission to Mars returned to society on Sunday after a year of living in isolation in Hawaii. The crew members were housed in an empty habitation on the slopes of Mauna Loa as part of the Hawaii Space Exploration Analogue and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program, which seeks to help scientists understand the affect of isolation on humans as they explore deep space. The crew left the habitat around 3 p.m. E.T. Sunday after living together for a year with limited contact with the outside world, [NBC News](http://www.nbcnews.com/slideshow/week-pictures-august-19-26-n638491) reported. Applications are open for the [next round of participants](http://www.hawaii.edu/news/2016/08/10/hi-seas-recruiting-for-mars-simulation-missions/) interested in the isolation missions. HI-SEAS will send teams to the mock habitat in 2017 and 2018 for eight months at a time. 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